August 27, 2008

No Pain, No Gain

That's easy for me to say...but when 6 am rolls around every morning and you have to get up for weight lifting the end result is far from sight. My son, Bryson, has quickly learned that to be a key leader on a winning team you must train hard. Every morning, despite how late he was up doing homework, Bryson crawls out of bed and heads off to be at the mercy of Coach Scott Stein. After that it's a full day of honors classes at Sun Valley High, and then another 3 1/2 hours of football practice, rain or shine. Home by 7 pm, he inhales left over dinner, showers and it's on to homework, bed and another 6:00 am. Dang, writing this makes me tired. Truth is, Bryson knows what it takes. He knows what's required to be successful. He knows that the pain he feels today will pay off come Friday night. His perseverance will produce strength, and will please his "master."

Isn't that the way it is with God? God doesn't desire for his children to be lazy. Rather, it is that we work hard, train diligently, experience a little pain. After all, how are we supposed to identify with Christ if our life is free of pain?

Listen to this passage:

"Fix this
picture firmly in your mind: Jesus, descended from the line of David,
raised from the dead. It's what you've heard from me all along. It's
what I'm sitting in jail for right now—but God's Word isn't in jail!
That's why I stick it out here—so that everyone God calls will get in
on the salvation of Christ in all its glory. This is a sure thing:

If we die with him, we'll live with him; If we stick it out with him, we'll rule with him; If we turn our backs on him, he'll turn his back on us; If we give up on him, he does not give up— for there's no way he can be false to himself.

Repeat
these basic essentials over and over to God's people. Warn them before
God against pious nitpicking, which chips away at the faith. It just
wears everyone out. Concentrate on doing your best for God, work you
won't be ashamed of, laying out the truth plain and simple. Stay clear
of pious talk that is only talk. Words are not mere words, you know. If
they're not backed by a godly life, they accumulate as poison in the
soul." (2 Timothy 2:11-14)

So there you go. No pain, no gain. I'm opting for pain for the glory of my master, Jesus Christ.